The Merman
by liveonpurpose
Summary: Will goes into the moon pool on a full moon and gets what he's always wanted, to become a merman. How does he keep it a secret? What happens when a merman is added to the mix? What happens when Sophie finds out? Will gets much more than he bargained for while he tries to manage family, friends, and a new tail. Set after season 3.
1. Will's Decision

Will powered himself rapidly through the water, flipping his monofin as quickly as he could.

Bella giggled slightly as she flew past her boyfriend in the water. No human contraption could ever hope to match the power of a mermaid fin. She paused briefly, looking over her shoulder at the boy she loved.

Will kicked harder, ignoring the pressure on his lungs as he swam. He hated having to swim to the surface for oxygen. It was weak and it embarrassed him, especially when he was swimming with the girls. He wished he could swim the way Bella did, free and fast under the waves.

Eventually he gave in, rising to the surface reluctantly. He gulped in fresh air quickly, trying to minimize his movement, before ducking back under the surface to swim.

After what seemed like an eternity they finally reached the dock outside his secluded boat shed. Will pulled himself out of the water with shaking arms, collapsing onto the sun-heated wood of the deck.

"Are you alright?" Bella's smiling face appeared over his.

"Fine." Will panted, unable to keep himself from smiling as he looked at the mermaid. "I just need to catch my breath for a moment."

Bella used her power to easily raise the water level and gently slide onto the dock beside Will. She hardened the water clinging to her and broke it off, becoming human once again a few seconds later. She let her head roll to the side, watching Will breathing heavily.

Bella hopped to her feet and grabbed a bath towel off the clothes line. She tossed it to Will. "Hurry up and dry off so I can actually touch you." She said with a sparkle in her eyes.

"Yes ma'am." Will obediently began toweling the water from his skin, trying hard not to be jealous of the fact that Bella didn't even seem the least bit tired. In a few moments he was dry enough. "Now come here." He reached an arm around Bella's waist and pulled her to him tightly.

Bella had just closed her eyes and was leaning in for a kiss when a high pitched beeping ruined the moment.

"Shoot." Bella grabbed her phone from her back pocket. She turned back to Will with apologetic eyes. "I'm sorry." She said regretfully. "I completely forgot we had band practice today. I'm late, I'd better run."

"Need a ride?" Will knew what her answer would be before she began to speak.

"No thanks." Bella hastily grabbed her keys off the porch. "I'll just swim over and use our room, it's way faster."

About a month ago, Zane had fenced in a secluded bit of beach off the pier and built a tiny shed around it. The girls could use the tiny room to dry themselves in after they pulled themselves out of the water. Their 'room,' as they called it, was kept locked at all times, and the only keys belonged to Zane and the girls. No one payed much attention to the little shack, and since it was located right outside the cafe it made traveling back and forth much quicker for Bella.

"I'll stop in to see you later-" Will started, but was interrupted by a large splash. He sighed as Bella disappeared down the canal towards the cafe.

Will watched until he couldn't see her anymore before turning to head into his tiny boat shed. His phone rang shrilly as he closed the door behind him.

"Hey Sophie." Will said, unenthusiastically holding the phone to his ear. "Yeah, I know. I'll be there in half an hour."

Will clicked the phone shut and tossed it onto the couch before collapsing onto it himself. Right after graduation a local company had offered to sponsor him if he decided to return to competitive diving. Sophie had begged him for weeks before he finally agreed to start competing again. Now things were just as they'd always been. Sophie pushed Will too hard, and Will trained for hours every single day. He loved swimming, but diving for a prize just didn't make him happy.

Will's head rolled to one side, his eyes landing on the long shelf hung on the wall that housed all of his swimming and diving trophies. It used to make him so proud to look at this collection of his accomplishments, but lately something had been... _missing_ somehow. Will's eyes landed on a framed picture of Bella, Rikki, and Cleo that sat on the side table. A smile came to his eyes as he gazed at his girlfriend. Ever since he'd met the mermaids he'd been completely unsatisfied with regular swimming. Now that he knew there was more to life than just training he was eager to make changes to his life. He gave himself a mental pep talk as he set the picture back down.

Re-energized, Will quickly changed clothes, clung his bag over his shoulder, and headed out the door to meet Sophie for training.

* * *

Rikki and Cleo arrived at the cafe around a few hours later that afternoon. They quickly located Bella and waited for the band to finish their song.

"Hey you guys." Bella hopped off the small stage. "Is it that time already?"

""Yup. 4:10 on the nose." Rikki answered with a grin.

"And the moon comes up when?" Bella tied her hair back into a ponytail as she spoke.

"Six." Cleo spoke up. "Plenty of time to get the apartment ready for a night in."

The three girls had moved into an apartment together right after graduation. Bella and Cleo were taking a few classes at the local community college while Rikki was focusing all of her attention on running the cafe full time. Zane had decided to attend a prestigious business school on the other side of the country, leaving Rikki to run their business.

For months Zane had tried desperately to convince Rikki to take him back but she had refused. Eventually he had given up, but he never seemed to fully recover from the break up. Deep down, Rikki felt that Zane's decision to go so far away from school was more about losing her than a desire to learn business, but she had let him leave without saying a word to stop him. Nowadays they spoke on the phone fairly often, and their friendship was slowly repairing itself. Rikki hoped they could be friends even if their relationship had gone stale.

"Great." Bella grinned. "I'll tell Nate we're out of here."

Rikki was giving a few last instructions to the night manager of the cafe when Will pushed his way though the beaded doorway. "Hey Will!" She called to him. "Bella's talking to Nate right quick. You coming by the apartment tonight?"

"What?" Will blinked his eyes distractedly. A second later comprehension spread across his face. "Tonight's a full moon."

"Damn straight it is." Rikki smacked him playfully with her clipboard. "I mean, we aren't expecting any excitement or anything but I still think it's a good idea to be as careful as possible and stay out of the moonlight-" She paused, narrowing her eyes as she looked at Will. "Are you ok?"

Will tried to make himself focus, but he was lost in his head. "I'm fine," He lied, still deep in thought. He checked his watch. "Tell Bells I'll call her later to check on you guys."

"Didn't you want to talk to her now?" Rikki's brow furrowed. "She's just over there-"

"Ah, nah." Will hastily picked up his back and tossed it over his shoulder. "Be safe tonight, Rik."

Rikki watched Will as he made his way towards the door. There had been something in his voice that seemed really _off_ and she couldn't help but wonder if he really was ok.

Will hurried out of the cafe without another word. He had just made up his mind about something and he just knew that if he saw Bella he'd blurt it all out. Heck, it had been really hard not to tell Rikki about his plan. More than that, Will knew that if he did tell them what he was up to they would try to talk him out of it and they would probably succeed. Will looked out at the horizon, where the sun was beginning to set. Setting his jaw, he hurried off towards his boat shed to prepare for a night he hoped he would never forget.

* * *

"Was that Lewis?" Bella hopped onto the couch next to Cleo, who was clicking her phone shut.

"Sure was." Cleo couldn't help but smile as she talked about her boyfriend. "They're loving him over there. And he is loving the work."

"Of course they are." Rikki joined them. "He's working at a great big science place. In America." She rolled her eyes. "What more could he possibly want?"

"Thanks!" Cleo flicked Rikki on the arm as she walked past her into the kitchen.

"Aw, my bad." Rikki called after her. "You! He wants you!"

"Expert save, Rikki." Bella laughed sarcastically.

"Come on, it's not like she doesn't know he's nuts about her." Rikki flipped on the television.

"And the moon is up... now." Cleo walked back into the living room. She tapped her watch. "We're in for the night, ladies."

Minutes later the three girls had settled on a movie and were settling in with some warm popcorn, blissfully unaware of what Will was doing behind their backs.

* * *

Will's small boat powered quickly through the water on the familiar route to Mako Island. He watched the moon as he traveled, admiring the slight blue tint at the edge of the glowing white circle. He reached the coast of Mako in only a few minutes and quickly pulled his boat far up onto the shore, completely out of the tide.

Taking in a long, deep, breath, Will realized he was nervous. No... not nervous. _Excited._ Trying to keep his heart from beating out of his chest, Will hurried up the land path to the moon pool. He had about thirty minutes before the moon would be directly overhead.

* * *

"That was, without a doubt, the dumbest movie I've ever seen." Rikki threw a piece of popcorn at Bella.

"It was romantic, Rikki." Bella tossed a piece back at her.

"Exactly. Dumb." Rikki snickered.

"Oh cut it out, you two." Cleo held up two DVDs. "Which next?"

"You two choose whatever." Rikki yawned. "I'm headed to bed." She paused, smiling. "Have I mentioned lately how much I love our apartment?"

The girls had chosen this precise location for one reason and one reason only. It had no windows. Sure, it was a little dreary, but they kept it well lit. Even a little dreariness a small price to pay to have a safe haven during the full moons. There were still odds and ends that had to be taken care of in preparation for their nights away from moonlight, but it was much simpler than using the boat shed or cafe.

"I'll see you guys tomorrow." Rikki gave a mock salute before heading up the steps to her bedroom. She had a funny feeling in the pit of her stomach that she couldn't seem to shake.

Cleo watched her friend disappear up the steps before turning back to Bella with a grin on her face.

"Rikki's gone." She giggled, holding up two different DVDs. "Tom Hanks or Cary Grant?"

* * *

Will paced at the edge of the moon pool, looking grimly into the water. Was he really about to do this? It seemed more and more likely that he was. Will swallowed hard, mentally preparing a pros and cons list for what he was about to do. Ok, pros. He would finally be able to swim the way he'd always wanted to. He could give up competitive free diving. He wouldn't be excluded or teased for being 'only human.'

Now, cons. Will paced as he though. Well obviously he'd have to keep this a secret from everyone, but he could do that easily. He was practically an expert at keeping the secret from helping Bella so many times. Will was fully confident that he could keep this secret. What other cons were there? Will knew the list must be a mile long, but at the moment he didn't care. He wanted this. He'd always wanted this. It just felt _right_. He could finally be just like Bella, Cleo, and Rikki.

He paused at the thought. How would the girls feel about him being a merman? Will shrugged, shaking out his tense shoulders. This wasn't about them. This was his decision, and he'd made it.

Hesitantly, Will stepped down into the water of the moon pool. He kicked himself out into the middle of the water. floating on his back and staring at the stars, waiting for the moon to be directly overhead.

* * *

Rikki tossed and turned, unable to fall asleep. She let out a long sigh, flipping to lay on her back, staring up at the ceiling. Her phone lit up from where it sat on the side table.

"Hello?" Rikki spoke quietly in case the other girls had gone to sleep already.

"I just wanted to check in on you." Zane's deep voice came through the phone. "You know... Full moon and all."

"Ah." Rikki pulled herself to sit up. "Thanks, Zane. We're all fine."

"Good." Zane's voice sounded empty and far away. "I was really just concerned about you, though. Not the others."

"I guess that's kinda sweet." Rikki shook her head slightly as she checked the time. "Zane, it's late. What are you doing awake?"

"Oh." Zane sounded embarrassed. "I've been watching the path of the moon. It's... gonna be over Mako Island in five minutes."

"You're right." Rikki nodded. "You know, it's weird. This full moon is just like every other one, but I just feel like something's going to happen."

"But you're safe?" Zane worried.

"Yes, Zane, I'm perfectly safe." Rikki said soothingly. "I'm in the bed already and I'm going to sleep. Thanks for calling."

"Rikki-" Zane spoke quickly before pausing awkwardly. "Um..."

"Yes? What is it?" Rikki slid back under the covers. "Zane?"

"I miss you." Zane's words echoed through the phone.

"Zane... I-" Rikki paused. She really didn't feel like having this conversation right now. "I miss you too." She said simply. "Goodnight Zane."

"'Night Rikki."

Rikki dropped the phone back onto the table before snuggling back under her covers. The uneasy feeling was gone and she suddenly felt very, very tired. Within minutes she was fast asleep.

* * *

Will almost felt like he could drift off to sleep. He rocked back and forth gently, laying in the water there underneath the stars. The warm water felt like a soothing bath on his tanned skin.

Will jumped in surprise as the water started bubbling around him. The moon had just centered itself over top of the moon pool.

"This is it." Will whispered to himself, closing his eyes tightly. His fists clenched as he prepared himself. The water sparkled and frothed around him, filling him with a nervous, joyful anticipation. A few seconds later the water died down, once more returning to the glassy calm of the moon pool.

Will breathed heavily, looking himself up and down in the water.

"I'm still human." He gasped, trying to catch his breath. "Wait." He shook his head. "That's right." He nodded rapidly. "The girls didn't change until the day after their full moon at Mako Island."

Trying to keep his breathing under control, Will pulled himself out of the pool and quickly dried himself off. He wanted to hurry and get back home before anything happened. He rushed outside, practically running. He couldn't wait to get home. More importantly, he couldn't wait for morning to come.


	2. Discovered

Will couldn't sleep at all that night. He jumped out of bed every twenty minutes, anxiously thrusting his hand under the faucet. Time after time, nothing happened. Will knew that it took at least until the next day for anything to really happen, but he couldn't help but keep trying. Eventually he dropped down into a chair at the kitchen table and forced himself to read a book until the sun began to rise.

He managed to wait until 7am before standing and eying the sink. Nervously, he walked over to it and turned on the water. He let the cool water gently run over his hand and patiently counted to ten in his head.

"Damn it." Will muttered, feeling defeated as he twisted the knob until the water stopped running. He leaned against the sink, letting his head droop. He had been so sure this would work. As much as he tried not to, he felt terribly disappointed.

"Oh well." Shaking his head, Will grabbed his bag and headed out the door. There was a diving comp in two days and he had a lot of training to do.

* * *

"Everyone make it through all right?" Rikki wandered sleepily into the kitchen, where Cleo and Bella were already sitting at the kitchen table.

"Sure did." Bella stood to refill her glass with orange juice. "Just another uneventful full moon."

"Good." Rikki said firmly. "I'll be thrilled if we never have full moon trouble ever again."

"So will I." Cleo agreed. "I'm glad those days are behind us."

"Me too." Bella sat back down at the table. "You working at the cafe today?"

"Yup." Rikki nodded. "And aren't you as well? I thought the band had a rehearsal scheduled?"

"Oh yes, I'll be over in a couple hours." Bella said easily. "Nate has a new song he wants us to rehearse."

"Well then I'll see you there!" Rikki grabbed an apple before breezing out the door.

"I'm out too." Bella quickly checked her makeup. "I promised Will I'd stop by his training session this morning. He'll need a break from Sophie."

"See you later." Cleo called lazily, flipping through a fashion magazine.

* * *

"Oops, excuse me." Will apologized after walking into a lady walking her dog down the sidewalk. He couldn't seem to concentrate on what he was doing, all he could think about was what he must have done wrong last night. Moon pool, check. Full moon, check. In the pool with the moon overhead, double check. Will furrowed his brow in concentration as he walked. Why hadn't it worked?

"Hey Will. You're here awfully early." Bob, who managed the training pool, looked up as Will pushed the front door open. "You're my first swimmer of the day. Training this morning?"

"Just like every morning." Will said unenthusiastically, trudging his way to the locker room. He quickly changed his clothes and pulled on his swim trunks. Stretching his arms up over his head, he stepped into the locker room shower and twisted the water nozzle. He closed his eyes and let his head drop back for just a second as the water cascaded down onto his skin. After just a quick rinse he twisted off the knob and stepped out of the shower, reaching for his towel.

Suddenly Will froze. Something didn't feel quite right. Will's legs began to tingle and, before he could react, he suddenly pitched forward and landed hard on the floor. Utterly shocked, Will flipped himself over onto his back and looked down at his legs. Well, he looked at what _used_ to be his legs.

A long, elegant, blue fin had replaced his lower half. Will stared at himself in awe, running one hand down the shimmering scales. He felt like his heart was about to beat out of his chest with excitement. It _had _worked. Will couldn't stop the huge grin from spreading across his face. He laughed quietly to himself, moving his tail back and forth gently. He couldn't wait to get in the water.

Wait- he had to get to the ocean, he couldn't swim here, in a public pool. Flipping over onto his stomach, Will dragged himself to his bag and managed to pull his towel free. He quickly dried himself off, suddenly anxious to be out of such a vulnerable position there on the floor.

"Will?" Bob shouted from the other room, his voice growing closer. "I heard a noise, are you alright?"

Frantically, Will rubbed the towel on his skin, trying desperately to dry himself.

"Will?" Bob pushed the door open and walked slowly into the locker room. "Didn't you hear me calling?" He looked at the boy, confused. "Why are you sitting there like that?"

Will sat, stunned, on the floor with his legs stretched out in front of him. He was breathing heavily and his face was flushed as he tore his eyes away from his legs to look up at Bob.

"Stretching." Will said dryly. Shaking himself, he stood on unsteady legs and cleared his throat. "I was stretching." He repeated, his voice stronger this time. "I've got to go."

"Go?" Bob said, puzzled. "So no training after all?"

Will didn't hear him, he was to preoccupied with his thoughts. He quickly threw his things into his bag and took off out the door. "See ya!" He called with a grin as he ran outside.

* * *

Bella hung up her phone, disappointed, as she walked into Rikki's cafe.

"I didn't expect to see you in here this early." Rikki said as she wiped clean a smoothie glass.

"I didn't either." Bella said glumly. "Will isn't answering his phone and he wasn't at the training pool."

"Aw, bummer." Rikki put the glass away, looking sympathetic. "He's probably out running, I'm sure he'll turn up soon."

"Yeah." Bella said, dropping into a chair. "I'm sure he will."

The two girls looked up as someone pushed their way into the cafe through the beaded entrance.

"What are you doing in here, Sophie?" Rikki didn't bother faking a smile as Will's sister marched up to the bar.

"Have you seen Will?" Sophie said snottily, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Nope." Rikki said coolly. "He's not here, so please feel free to leave."

Sophie spun on her heel with a huff and started for the exit.

"Wait, Sophie." Bella jogged to catch her. "You can't find Will?"

Sophie paused reluctantly. "No." She sneered. "He was supposed to meet me for training this morning but Bob said he'd already taken off. Now he isn't answering his phone." She strutted away without another word.

Bella watched her go, nervously fiddling with her hair. She turned back to Rikki. "_Sophie_ can't find Will? She practically keeps him on a leash."

"I really wouldn't worry too much." Rikki shook her head. "He's gonna turn up."

"Well he'd better." Bella said uneasily. "And soon."

* * *

Truth was, Will hadn't thought about Bella in hours. He had run straight home, dropped his bag onto the dock, and dove straight into the ocean.

It was incredible. Will didn't know how he'd ever been content with just human swimming. This was the most amazing feeling he'd ever had in his entire life and he never wanted it to end.

Will flew through the water with incredible speed, only getting faster. He hadn't needed to surface for oxygen in what felt like an eternity and he had never felt more comfortable in his skin. Well, in his scales.

Glee flowed through his veins as Will swam to the surface. He'd gone out further than he'd meant to, though he'd swum far away on purpose at first. He didn't want to accidentally bump into Cleo, Rikki, or especially Bella. He wasn't ready tell them quite yet, and he definitely didn't want them to find out about him until he was ready to show them. It was the weirdest thing, but Will found that he didn't really want them to know. At least, not yet.

He liked being able to fly through the water, alone with the sea and his thoughts. He didn't really want to have to share it with anyone else. He knew how silly that sounded, but he just couldn't bare the thought of Bella tagging along behind him as he swam.

"Geez Will, hypocrite much?" He muttered to himself. Still, he didn't spare much of a thought for Bella or the other girls. His life had changed and he couldn't imagine ever going back to the way he had been before.

He reached the surface in only a few seconds. He threw his head back, tossing water into the air. The sun was just starting to set off in the distance. With the utmost reluctance, Will slowly began swimming back to the shore. He knew he'd have a lot to answer for after disappearing for the whole day. He was sure Bella and Sophie would be angry with him for not telling them where he was.

Sophie. Will's heart sank just a fraction. Obviously training for any more diving competitions was something he'd never be able to do again. The thought of telling Sophie that he was quitting made him slightly nervous, though not nervous enough to make him that anxious. Sophie would just have to deal with it. This was his life and if he didn't want to compete any more he didn't have to.

Will took his sweet time getting back to the dock outside his boat shed. It wasn't until he reached it that he realized he didn't really know how to get out of the water.

Will quickly reviewed his options. He was too worried to swim to the beach, what if someone saw him when he was pulling himself out of the water? There was the tiny shack of a room that Zane had built, but it was locked. Will would have to wait for one of the girls to come let him out, and what if they saw something? No, that wasn't an option. Will eyed his dock apprehensively. It was definitely secluded, no one would be close enough to see him.

Will swam to the edge of the dock, determined to pull himself out. He could do this, his arms had never been stronger thanks to all the training he had been doing lately. He would pull himself out onto the deck, dry off, and get inside to safety.

Gripping the edge of the dock, Will mentally counted to three and then pulled with all his might. He managed to get himself up to his waist out of the water. He dropped himself onto the dock, hanging at the hips with his fin still submerged. Reaching forward, he dug his fingers into the space between the planks of wood that lined the dock and pulled.

It took a long time, but Will eventually managed to pull himself up out of the water to lay on the deck.

"I've got to figure out a quicker way to do that." Will muttered to himself, mentally constructing a ramp-type structure that would make getting out of the water easier.

"What the hell is this?" A shrill voice came from just a few feet away, shocking Will.

He turned his head, terrified, trying to see who had caught him.

Sophie stood, frozen, her eyes locked on Will and his fin.

"Will, what is this?" Her voice was barely above a whisper as she spoke.

"Sophie, I can explain." Will said desperately, pushing himself up onto his arms.

"Explain?" Sophie stepped back quickly before he could reach for her. She looked him up and down before speaking. "This..." She gestured to his lower half. "This isn't fake, is it? It's real."

"Sophie, listen, I can explain this." Will looked around quickly for his bag. If he could just towel off he could talk to Sophie without freaking her out. His bag was nowhere to be seen.

"Looking for this?" Sophie held a familiar red bag out to him. "You left it on the dock, I was going to put it away for you." She eyed Will warily, keeping her distance. "Talk."

"I will." Will said honestly. "Just let me dry off first."

Sophie let out a long exhale, obviously uncomfortable. After several awkward seconds she reached in the bag and tossed Will his towel. "Then do it. Will you be... erm, _human_ again after you get dry?" She shuffled her feet nervously.

"Yeah." Will's brain ran at a mile a minute as he dried himself.

Sophie didn't speak as she watched him. A few minutes later Will transformed back into a young, human, man. In spite of herself, Sophie gasped. "You just-" She stammered. "I mean, Will what in the world is happening to you?"

"I can explain everything." Will tried to sound soothing. This was his sister, after all. If anyone was going to understand and accept him it would be Sophie. "Come on inside." He nodded towards his front door. "I'll tell you everything."

In all honestly, Will didn't tell Sophie everything, just the abridged version. He left out everything about Bella, Rikki, or Cleo. Other than the girls, he told his sister everything he could. He told her all about Mako Island, about what had happened that morning, about what happened to him when he touched water...

Sophie took everything in as best she could, but it was a lot to process. She nodded, and nodded, and... nodded. Will couldn't read her reaction. Had he made a huge mistake in telling her?

"Sophie?" He said after he had finished telling her everything. "Don't you have anything to say?"

"What do you want me to say, Will?" Sophie stood, pacing distractedly. "Do you want me to say that I'm cool with you being a... a _merman?_" She looked at him closely. "I mean damn, Will, I wouldn't believe it if I hadn't seen it with my own eyes."

"I know it's a little incredible..." Will tried to comfort her.

"Incredible?" Sophie clenched her fists at her hips. "No, Will. _Incredible_ is you shaving two tenths off your fastest dive. This is just..." She threw her hands into the air. "This is impossible!"

"But it _is_ possible." Will placed both his hands on Sophie's shoulders, looking her dead in the eye. "This is real, Soph. And I need to know that you'll keep this a secret."

"Does anyone else know?" Sophie raised her eyebrows. "What you are?"

"Only you." Will said honestly.

"Will..." Sophie broke free from his grip and paced to the other side of the room. "Do you know what this could do for you? What kind of money you could make?"

"No." Will said firmly, without a trace of humor. "Soph, you can't tell _anyone_ about this. Promise me."

Sophie met his eye for a long second before speaking. "Fine." She said grimly. "You're my brother. I won't tell anyone." Her tone softened. "I love you."

"And I love you." Will hugged her to him tightly. "Thank you, sister."

"No problem." Sophie said blankly before pulling away from him. "This is all so weird, Will."

"Yeah I get that." Will walked away, hanging his head.

"Will?" Sophie's eyes widened. "What is _this?_"

Will frowned. "What do you mean?"

Sophie pointed at him. "What are you doing? Stop it!"

"What are you talking about?" Will said frustratedly. "I'm just standing here."

"No, Will." Sophie had a panicked look on her face as she stared at Will's feet. "You aren't standing." She looked up at Will with open eyes. "You're hovering. Will...you- you're... flying."


	3. Keeping it a Secret

Bella and Rikki stood outside Will's boat shed, arms crossed tightly over their chests.

"Think he's in there?" Bella asked worriedly.

"His car is in the driveway." Rikki pointed out. "Come on, we might as well find out."

"Right." Bella said as she walked up to the front steps determinedly. She was terrified that Will may not be inside. If he wasn't, she didn't know what else she could do to find him.

Bella twisted the knob. The girls rarely knocked when they came to visit. "It's locked." She said nervously.

Rikki marched up the steps and knocked loudly at the door. "Will!" She shouted. "It's Rikki and Bella, let us in!" She waited for a few seconds, pressing her ear against the door. Her eyes shot open. "There are people in there!" She hissed at Bella. "I can hear them! WILL!" Rikki pounded again on the door. "We're both worried about you. Let us in now or I swear we'll-"

The door suddenly swung open, startling both Rikki and Bella.

Sophie quickly closed the door, reopening it only a few inches. She seemed worried and preoccupied, constantly turning her head to look behind her. She finally faced Rikki and Bella.

"Yes?" She said briskly. "What do you want"

"We're looking for Will." Bella stood on her tiptoes, craning her neck to see past Sophie.

"He can't come to the door right now." Sophie said distractedly. "But I'll tell him you came by." She tried to push the door shut but Rikki was too quick.

Rikki caught the door with her foot before it could shut. "Where is Will, Sophie?" Rikki demanded. "Did you lock him up or something?"

"What? No, don't be silly." Sophie sounded more than a little annoyed.

"Then let us see him." Bella pushed.

"No!" Sophie practically shouted. She quickly regained her composure. "I mean, not now." She managed a strained smile. "He'll call you soon." With that, she slammed the door right in their faces.

The girls heard the lock click sharply into place. The exchanged quick glances of disbelief with one another before beginning to shout. "Will!" They both knocked loudly at the door, shouting at the top of their lungs, but got no answer. No Will. Not even Sophie.

Bella's phone bleeped loudly. She flipped it open quickly and read the text message that had come through. "I don't believe it." She said bitterly. "It's from Will. 'Hey Bella, sorry I've been out of touch. all is fine, see you soon.'" Bella looked at Rikki with her mouth hanging open. "That's all it says. Wow, he could at least waited for us to walk away." She muttered. Her shoulders slumped forward as she began trudging towards the road.

"What? You're going to let him get away with that?" Rikki said in disbelief. "No, we'll knock and shout and wait until he shows his face." Rikki clenched her fists and marched back up the steps.

"Rikki, no." Bella called to her. "Just stop." She sighed. "Will knows how to get in touch with me. He knows where I am. If he wanted to see me he would see me." She shrugged sadly and began to walk away.

Rikki reluctantly followed her friend, shooting a last withering look at the boat shed before departing.

* * *

"They're leaving." Will said unhappily as he peaked out the window.

"Good!" Sophie jerked the curtain out of his hand and tied it tightly closed. "You can't have visitors right now. I mean, what if they spilled water on you... or what if you flew to the ceiling or something?"

"Soph..." Will sank down onto the couch. "They're my friend. I know I can trust them."

"Sure, they're you're friends now." Sophie paced briskly. "But what about when they find out what you've become? How loyal do you really think they'll be then?"

Will stretched his arms over his head. He knew for a fact that the girls would never tell anyone his secret, but he could hardly explain to Sophie why he was so sure of that fact. Above all else, he was determined to protect Rikki, Bella, and Cleo. Will stood and walked to the small kitchen. He froze in the doorway.

"Sophie!" His voice raised an octave. "It's happening again!"

Will rose slowly into the air, trying desperately to keep himself on the ground. He couldn't figure out how to stop himself as he floated a few feet up into the air. He grasped at the edge of the kitchen counter, trying to force his feet back onto the floor.

"Shoot." Sophie muttered, hooking her fingers into Will's belt and pulling him down as hard as she could. "Will, we have _got_ to figure out this flying thing before you try to go anywhere. This is the third time you've lost control in the last ten minutes."

"I know." Will said angrily. He was more than a little frustrated with himself for not being able to control his power. He felt himself rising higher as his temper increased.

"Will- Will!" Sophie snapped her fingers to get his attention. "You've got to calm down." She said gently. "Take a deep breath, please."

Will nodded and obeyed her command, letting out a long, slow exhale. Immediately, his feet touched the ground.

"That's it, Sophie!" Will's eyes widened as he hugged Sophie to him tightly. "I just have to keep calm!" His face was bright with excitement at the realization.

"Um, Will?" Sophie pointed down at the floor, which was now several inches below their feet.

"Oh, uh, sorry." Will closed his eyes and breathed deeply, calming himself. A second later the both stood solidly on the floor.

"I guess all those years of practicing to lower my heart rate paid off, huh?" Will elbowed Sophie playfully.

"Yeah, I guess they really did." Sophie didn't quite seem to be listening as she sat down gingerly on the couch. "You just need to more practice controlling your power, you'll end up just fine." She let her head drop into her hands, lost deep in thought.

"What's wrong?" Will knew his sister well enough to know when something was bothering her.

"This... is all jut a _lot_ to take in at once." Sophie managed a bright grin, brushing off his concern. Her phone beeped three times from her purse.

"Oh no, I've got to go." She threw the phone into her bag. "I was supposed to be at a meeting twenty minutes ago to-" She paused. "-Meet with a potential endorser." She finished blankly. "Which I guess you'll no longer be needing, right? Since you can't swim anymore, at least not publicly."

Will had a hard time meeting Sophie's eye. "Right." He said guiltily.

"Ok then." Sophie said coolly, gathering her things. "Well t hen I need to get down there and explain to him that we're no longer looking for endorsement deals."

"You're not going to tell him about what I am, though." Will darted between his sister and the door.

"Shut up, Will. Of course not." Sophie rolled her eyes. "But I still need to tell him we're out."

"Ok." Will said nervously. He knew he could trust his sister, he was just a little uncomfortable being left alone.

"Do NOT step one single foot out that door." Sophie directed firmly. "I mean it, Will. And don't answer the door for _anyone_. The last thing we need is for you to give some delivery man an eyeful. Got it?"

"Got it." Will nodded. "When will you be back?"

"Probably not until sometime tomorrow." Sophie checked her date book quickly. "But don't you dare leave this boat shed."

"You got it." Will said sadly. Truthfully, he couldn't wait to get back into that ocean, but his sister was being so helpful and so very understanding he really didn't want to disappoint her.

"I'll check in on you." Sophie gave him a quick hug before opening the front door. "Be careful."

Will locked the door behind her, having every intention of doing just that. Being careful.

Alone with his thoughts, Will paced to the open floor of his living room. He needed to get control of his power.

"Ok." He said to himself quietly, closing his eyes. He reached up into the air, waiting to fly.

Nothing happened.

Will squinted one eye open and looked at the floor below him. He rose up onto his tiptoes, willing himself to rise up.

Still nothing.

"Come on." Will urged himself, disappointed. Sure, his power was somewhat in tune with his emotions, but he knew that with some work he'd be able to control it without thinking about it, just like the girls did with theirs.

Will concentrated hard, picturing himself lifting up off the floor. Several seconds passed without anything happening but, just as he was about to give up, he felt the ground drop away. Slowly, he powered himself up as far as he could, all the way to the ceiling. He pressed his hands flat against. the cool tile that was usually out of his reach. "I did it." Will said triumphantly.

Now to get back down. One again, Will closed his eyes and began to picture himself lowering.

The tinkling of breaking glass pulled him out of his concentration. Immediately, he dropped to the floor like a stone, landing hard with a loud thud.

"What in the world were you doing up there?" A familiar voice came from the side window, which a familiar person had just broken and climbed through.

"Rikki?" Will stood carefully, inspecting himself for injuries. "What are you doing here?" His eyebrows furrowed. "Did- Did you just break my window?"

"I thought Sophie might be keeping you locked up or something." Rikki explained sheepishly. "You know, one time I was kidnapped and you rescued me. I thought... I'd return the favor?"

"That's ridiculous." Will shook his head, trying not to laugh.

"Well then maybe you can explain yourself?" Rikki's tone became stern. "You know Bella and I were here today. Why wouldn't you talk to us?"

"It's complicated, Rikki." Will tried, but didn't do a very good job sounding casual.

"Oh, stuff it." Rikki flopped onto the couch. "Talk to me, Will. What's going on?"

For a brief moment Will was incredibly tempted to just tell Rikki everything. They'd always been close friends, she would understand what he was going through, maybe she could help him...

No. Will shook his head. It wouldn't be fair for him to ask Rikki for such a favor, or to put her in that kind of position. She'd never be comfortable keeping this a secret from Bella, and Will couldn't blame her.

Will sat down beside Rikki and reached for the remote, casually flipping on the television. "I'm sorry I don't have more to tell you, Rikki." He shrugged.

Rikki watched him change channels for a few seconds before reaching to snatch the clicker out of his hand. She flicked the TV off and turned to sit facing him.

"What's going on?" She asked quietly. "I can tell something's up, Will. Now tell me what it is."

Will met Rikki's eyes. "I can't." He said simply.

Rikki sat back, examining Will. He looked so troubled, and he was shaking ever so very slightly. "Something's really up, isn't it?" Rikki asked concernedly.

In spite of himself, Will nodded slightly. "But I can't talk about it." He added quickly.

"Ok..." Rikki said slowly, her eyes never leaving Will's face. "Well, when you're ready, I'll listen. OK?" Rikki had a sick feeling that she knew what his secret was. She worried that he was about to break up with Bella. These last few weeks he hadn't seemed to be himself, and Bella had said he'd been distant with her lately. Rikki's heart sank. Bella would be absolutely crushed. At least Will didn't look as though this had been an easy decision for him to make. Wanting to comfort him, Rikki reached out and a hand and patted his arm.

"OW!" They both shouted in unison, jumping up off the couch and backing away from one another.

"What in the world was that?" Rikki shook her hand, trying to get rid of the intense pins and needles feeling.

"We must have shocked each other." Will rubbed his arm. "Man, that really hurt."

"No joke." Rikki laughed lightly as she opened and closed her fist. "You been walking on carpet with your socks on?"

"No." There wasn't even a scrap of carpet in Will's place. Will shook his head. "That was really weird."

"Yeah." Rikki headed for the door. "I'm going to the cafe. Glad you weren't kidnapped."

"Hey Rikki," Will stopped her. "Please... Don't tell Bella that we talked. I mean-"

"Bella doesn't even know I'm here." Rikki interrupted. "I was just trying to help her out."

"You're a good friend," Rik." Will managed a sort of grin.

"I know it." Rikki smiled confidently, trying to lighten the mood. "Take care of yourself, Will." She started to leave, but quickly turned back. "I think I've left my keys." She hurried back inside.

"Here." Will held them up from where he'd spotted them on the table.

"Thanks." Rikki reached out for them and Will placed them into her hand.

It happened the instant the skin of their hands touched. The same pins and needles shock made their hands vibrate with tension. The keys fell to the floor a the two stood there, connected. Carefully, Will pulled his hand away from Rikki's. A crackling stream of electricity, yellow and hot, stretched from his hand to hers. The pair watched, frozen, for several seconds before they reacted.

Will yanked his hand downward, breaking their arc of electricity. He eyed Rikki nervously, instinctively using the door frame to anchor himself to the ground just in case.

"Are you alright" Rikki looked at him with wide eyes. "I mean, I'm fine, but what in the world was that?"

Will braced himself with both hand, trying to calm himself down. The electricity had felt empowering, somehow strengthening.

"Will, you're as white as a sheet." Rikki said, suddenly worried that maybe Will really was ill. "Sit down." She gestured to the couch with a do-not-argue-with-me attitude. "Right now." She disappeared into the kitchen.

Taking one last calming breath, Will carefully made his way to the couch.

"Drink this, you'll feel better." Rikki stuck a glass under his nose.

"Thanks, Rikki." Will said wearily. He was barely paying attention as he took the glass. It wasn't until he lifted it to his lips that he realized it had been filled with water. Instinctively, he dropped the glass and pulled his legs up onto the couch, cowering as if he was scared.

"Now what did you do that for?" Rikki said angrily. "Come on, Will, pull it together. And clean that up, there's water and broken glass all over the floor."

Will didn't budge, his brain racing as he tried to figure out how to get out of this without giving up his secret.

"You go." He stammered, nodding towards the door. "I'll get it cleaned up."

"Oh just go ahead and do it now." Rikki held up a foot. "I've got sandals on, and I really don't feel like cutting myself or transforming in the middle of a room full of glass."

"Yeah, that's a valid fear." Will muttered under his breath. Suddenly he perked up a bit. "Use the back door!" He said, a little too loudly. "No glass down that way." He grinned at Rikki.

"Um... kay." Rikki was staring at him as if he'd lost his marbles. "I'll do that. See you tomorrow." She quickly let herself out through the back hallway, glad to get out of the boat shed.

Will let out a sigh of relief after Rikki had gone. Carefully, he climbed off the couch and retrieved a broom and dustpan from the kitchen, walking as if his floor were a minefield. Very carefully, he swept the wet pieces of glass into the dustpan and began to carry it into the kitchen. One solitary drop of water slid from the edge of the pan and landed with a drip on Will's forearm. Unfortunately, one drop was all it took to change him.

Will let out a garbled yell of protest as he pitched forward onto the floor, the broken glass offering little to cushion his fall.

"Sorry Will, I _still_ forgot my dang keys-"

Will could hear Rikki freeze where she stood, looking at him in utter shock. She gasped sharply.

"Rikki, let me explain." Will flipped himself over onto his back, wincing as the glass cut into his skin.

Rikki held up one hand to silence him but otherwise remained motionless. She stood there for a long time, looking at Will and working things out in her head.

"You're... like us." She finally spoke, slowly.

Will didn't know if she was making a statement or asking a question, so he just nodded.

Rikki paced as she talked. "And this happened..." Will could practically see the wheels turning in Rikki's head. Realization suddenly hit her. "You did this last night, didn't you?" She asked triumphantly.

Will nodded meekly, trying to gauge her reaction.

"Will, you're bleeding." Rikki pointed. One of Will's forearms had a rather large gash in it. "Let me help you."

Rikki hurried over to where Will lay on the floor. She held one hand out over Will and steam dried him quickly. "Sorry." She flushed slightly. "I guess I should have offered to that earlier, when you dropped the glass."

Will transformed back to his usual self, shooting a worried look at Rikki.

"Say something." He pleaded.

"Say something..." Rikki sat on the floor beside Will. "There's not really much to say, is there?" She raised her eyebrows at Will, her expresion unreadable. "Did you do this on purpose?"

"Yes." Will nodded.

"And is this something you've wanted?" Rikki continued.

"Ever since I found out it was possible." Will explained. He swallowed hard. "Are you mad?"

"I think I'm still in shock." Rikki gave Will an appraising look. "I didn't know you had it in you." Rikki's face fell slightly. "Will, you've been a mermaid- I mean, mer_man_ for almost twenty-four hours now. How have you not told Bella yet?"

Will took in a long breath, unable to look at Rikki directly. "I don't want her to know." He admitted. "Not yet."

"Good." Rikki sighed, resting her elbows on her knees. "Because she's going to hate it."


	4. The Flight

"What?" Will wasn't sure he'd heard Rikki correctly. He hadn't thought for a second that Bella might not be happy for him. "Why would Bella hate it?"

Rikki sat down close to him, speaking gently. "Will, she's always talking about what what a relief it is to date someone normal. I mean, she lives in an apartment with two other mermaids, Her home doesn't have any windows because we have to be careful about the full moon, she can't even take regular college classes in an actual classroom because she'd always have to miss on rainy days." She smiled sadly. "Or even if it just threatens to rain. She really liked that, with you. She could just relax and play human for a bit."

Will frowned. "But Bella loves being a mermaid. She doesn't actually want to be human."

"No she doesn't." Rikki agreed. "Do you like chocolate ice cream?"

"Um, yes?" Will was confused by the random question.

"Would you even say you _love_ chocolate ice cream?" Rikki said lightly.

"I guess." Will shrugged. "Why?"

Rikki waited a moment, composing her thoughts before speaking. "Would you want to eat chocolate ice cream for every single meal, every single day, forever?"

"No... I'd want a break." Will suddenly realized where Rikki was going with her ice cream questions.

"You were her break from chocolate ice cream." Rikki said simply.

"But do you think she'll be angry with me?" Will let himself lay back on the floor as he spoke. "I love her, Rikki, I don't want to lose her."

"She definitely won't be thrilled." Rikki said grimly. Suddenly her face twisted into a terrible scowl.

"Will..." She spoke very slowly. "Earlier today Sophie was _very_ adamant about not letting us see you. And she seemed pretty agitated about _something_." Rikki shot Will an accusatory look. She spoke calmly and quietly, which was far scarier than if she'd started yelling. "Will, does Sophie know what you are?"

Will was too scared to answer. He jumped to his feet and hurried to the kitchen.

"Will!" Rikki followed him. "Answer the question!"

"Ok, she knows." Will gave up. "She caught me when I was pulling myself out of the water earlier. But she won't tell anyone." He added quickly.

"What?" Rikki screeched in disbelief. "Will, how could you? We've all worked so hard to keep this a secret from Sophie and you go and let her find out on your _first day_ as a merman?"

"I'm sorry, Rik. It wasn't on purpose, I swear." Will held his hands in the air in surrender. "You have to believe me, I didn't want anyone to know. Especially not my sister."

"And does she know about us?" Rikki paced angrily with her arms crossed over her chest. "How much does she know, Will?"

"No." Will answered automatically. "She doesn't know a thing about you guys. She just thinks I was in the moon pool after a long dive and it happened to be a total coincidence that it was a full moon. She thinks it's some weird science miracle or something."

"And do you think she's actually going to keep that a secret?" Rikki asked pointedly.

"She's my sister." Will answered pathetically. "She would never do anything to hurt me."

"Oh Will," Rikki shook her head sadly. "You have no idea what your sister is capable of."

Will had no answer for her. He _hadn't_ wanted Sophie to find out, but she had. There was no point in wishing things were different, he couldn't turn back time. All he could do was hope that Sophie would be loyal to her only brother.

"I need a swim." Rikki rolled her head, stretching the muscles in her neck. Her eyes landed on Will. "Care to join me?"

Will looked at Rikki in surprise. "Really?" He stammered. "You want to swim with _me?_"

"Sure, why not?" Rikki shrugged. "Bella's rehearsing with the band tonight and Cleo is studying for a huge exam. I don't want to swim alone, and at least we don't have to worry about them seeing us."

"Ok." Will said, suddenly incredibly excited. He had been itching to get back into the water. He loved the way it felt to swim so freely. He looked at Rikki anxiously. "I promised Sophie I wouldn't leave."

"So break that promise." Rikki raised one eyebrow mischievously. "Come on, let me show you the ropes. We'll be back in no time at all."

Will's mind raced as he tried to decide what to do. "I guess I could just leave a note? In case Sophie comes by?" He shrugged one shoulder.

"Fantastic." Rikki smirked. "But it's more than she deserves. Come on, let's go."

Will jotted down a quick, vague, note and left it on the side table. If Sophie stopped by at least she would know he was safe. He and Rikki hurried out the front door. They paused at the edge of the deck.

"You scared?" Rikki taunted him lightly.

"I can't wait." Will's voice dripped with anticipation as he looked out over the water.

He jumped, not waiting for Rikki to give the signal. Seconds later his long blue tail stretched out behind him. He looked back at it, unable to keep a smile from stretching to the corners of his mouth. Rikki appeared beside him in the water a moment later. She looked Will up and down, an approving look on her face. She pointed up to the surface and led the two of them to the air.

"You don't look half bad, merman." She said playfully. "See if you can keep up!" And with that, she took off through the ocean.

Will couldn't shake his smile as he followed her. Faster and faster they swam, having the time of their lives.

Rikki loved the chase, keeping just out of Will's reach. This was somehow even more fun than swimming with Bella and Cleo. Will was fast, faster than she'd expected him to be for such a new merman.

The two chased each other through the sea for hours, having a ton of fun. Will enjoyed testing Rikki's speed and Rikki enjoyed weaving fast and complicated trails for Will to follow.

After what seemed like forever, Rikki led the pair towards the moon pool at Mako Island. The two surfaced in the familiar cavern, allowing their lungs to take a much-deserved break.

"Wow." Will breathed, looking up into the opening of the cave at the stars. "I never thought I'd get to do that. Just like you. It's amazing."

"Yeah it is." For once Rikki wasn't being cocky, she was speaking honestly. It _was_ amazing to swim the way they could.

The two floated there, on their backs, for several moments before speaking.

"I never want to get out of the water." Will murmured, gazing up at the stars.

"Me either." Rikki agreed. "Some days I think I could just swim forever."

The two floated side by side, looking up at the sky for a long time.

"We should probably head back soon." Rikki said quietly, not moving a muscle.

"Yeah." Will didn't move either. It felt so good just to float, rocking with the tiny waves, next to a good friend.

Hesitantly, Will let his fingers brush Rikki's. Slowly, waiting for Rikki to push him away, he entwined his fingers in hers and squeezed them tightly. Rikki allowed him to. In fact, she squeezed him back. It wasn't a romantic gesture on either part, just two friends enjoying a perfect night. Both of them relaxed at the contact.

"No electricity." Rikki breathed.

"You're right." Will had forgotten all about the electrical experience from earlier when they touched.

"Good thing, too." Rikki spoke. "Thanks for not frying us."

Will laughed. "Thanks for showing me the ropes."

* * *

He still isn't answering." Bella angrily snapped her phone shut. She flopped down on the couch next to Cleo.

"Maybe he's sleeping?" Cleo raised her shoulders as she asked the question.

"Asleep?" Bella practically shouted. "For a day and a half?"

"That does seem unlikely." Cleo admitted. She threw an arm across Bella's shoulders and gave her a squeeze. "He's probably just out training with Sophie."

"Yeah, sure." Bella said bitterly. "I'm sure that's where he is."

"Well don't worry." Cleo yawned. "I've been studying all day and I am so glad to finally be home. Let's just relax for a bit."

The front door swung open and Rikki breezed inside.

"Hey guys." She said casually. "Look who turned up."

Will stepped inside, trying not to look too nervous. He gave an awkward wave. "Hey."

"Will!" Bella jumped up and ran to him. "Where have you been? I was so worried about you." She pulled him in for a tight hug. "What's with the gloves?"

"Uh... it's chilly outside." Will stuck his hands in his pockets. "I'm so sorry, Bells. Sophie's got me on a really strict training regimen." He lied." She thinks I need to stay away from any outside stimulus and just focus on my training."

"You couldn't take two seconds to call and tell me that?"Bella stepped back, relief quickly changing to anger.

"I know, I'm so sorry." Will apologized. His phone rang angrily. "It's Sophie again." He groaned. This was at least the tenth time she'd called him in the last thirty minutes. She must have stopped by and realized that he'd left without telling her.

"Don't answer it." Bella said quickly. "Sit down with me, let's watch a movie."

"I'm so sorry, I can't." Will was careful to keep his voice level. He hadn't accidentally flown in a couple of hours, and he and Rikki had decided that he really needed to make an appearance with Bella so she could stop worrying. Still, he was too nervous to stay here long.

"She said she wouldn't be back to my place until tomorrow morning." Will explained. "But she must have stopped by to make sure I was doing my exercises. I have to go."

"Exercises?" Bella frowned. "Will, it's after midnight."

"Yeah, well..." Will scrambled for a plausible response. "It's a whole thing, I do a different exercise every hour four times a night."

"That makes no sense." Cleo piped up, confused.

"I've heard of it." Rikki chimed in. "Yeah, it's all the rage in... China."

"Ok then." Will gave Bella a quick peck on the cheek. "I'll talk to you tomorrow, ok?"

"Sure." Bella tried to fake a smile.

"Great." Bye guys." Will left, shutting the door behind him.

"You know, I've just remembered that I left my phone at the cafe." Rikki tossed on a light jacket. "Be back in a few!" She hurried out the door, leaving Cleo and Bella sitting in somewhat stunned silence."

"Something's up with those two." Cleo frowned slightly.

"Yeah." Bella agreed. She didn't feel better after seeing Will. She felt uncomfortable and more than a little insulted. She was a smart girl. She knew when she was being lied to.

* * *

"Think they bought it?" Will waited for Rikki to catch up with him.

"Not for a second." Rikki said quietly.

"Good call with the gloves." Will pulled them off and stuck them in his jacket pocket.

"Can't have you doing your electric thingee on Bella by accident, not until we figure it out a bit." Rikki walked beside him. "Are you really going home? Sophie is going to kill you."

"I'll get there eventually." Will couldn't keep a smile from spreading across his face. "I want to try something first. Follow me." Will cut off the sidewalk and began jogging toward a patch of trees set off from a playground. It was completely deserted at this time of night. Will pushed his way though the trees, followed closely by Rikki, until they reached a clearing.

"What in the world are we in here for?" Rikki brushed dirt off the leg of her pants.

"This." Will stood in the middle of the clearing, closed his eyes, and focused all of his energy on one thing.

Immediately, he shot up high into the air, practically so high that he was out of sight.

"Will!" Rikki half shouted, half whispered. "Get back down here!"

Will hovered high above the ground, taking it all in. "Wow..." He exhaled.

This was _almost_ cooler than swimming, though not quite. He looked down to where Rikki stood, so far below him. Exhilarated, Will pointed himself towards the ground and flew back, landing neatly on his feet.

Rikki's jaw fell open. She couldn't decide if she was impressed or furious.

"Are you crazy?" She hissed. "What if someone saw you?"

"There's no one around, it's too late." Will extended a hand to Rikki. "Come on." He said, a sparkle in his eye. "You're going to love this."

"No, Will, it's way too risky." Rikki backed away from his outstretched hand. "You barely know how to control your power."

"What better way to learn than to practice?" Will walked to stand right in front of her. Wordlessly, he held out both hands.

Unsure of her decision, Rikki reached out and took Will's hands in hers. The pair gasped as their skin came in contact. Though not nearly as strong as before, the electric tingling was back. Their hands vibrated slightly in one another's, and the faintest glow of electricity flashed across their fingers.

"Ready?" Will could barely contain his anticipation.

In spite of herself, Rikki nodded.


	5. His Choice

Carefully at first, then gaining speed, Will took the two of them high into the air. They soared over the town at impossible heights. After a few seconds the pair let one hand loosen and flew side by side, holding on tightly with the remaining hand. It was an odd sensation, but a useful one. Will discovered that he didn't need to support Rikki's weight. It seemed that as long as their skin was in contact she stayed just as weightless as he was.

Rikki squealed with happiness as the pair cut through the air, getting faster. She'd always thought that being a mermaid would be the most amazing thing to ever happen in her life, but this was just as amazing.

After flying for what felt like only a few minutes but was probably over an hour, Will took the two of them to the top of an old metal water tower far across town. He set them down gently, shaking a bit with the thrill of it all.

"That... was..." He panted, trying to catch his breath.

"Utterly spectacular." Rikki finished for him, laying back on the cool metal to stare up at the sky. "Really good job, Will. You've gotten the hang of all this so quickly."

"Yeah, except I got discovered after my very first swim." Will tried not to worry too much about his sister.

"It's going to be just fine." Rikki said confidently. She yawned, pulling out her phone. Her eyes opened wide. "Will, it's after 4am. I've got to get home."

"I should head that way too." Will agreed reluctantly. He was not looking forward to dealing with Sophie, or answering her questions.

"We''ll come out again tomorrow." Rikki promised. "And hey, don't tell Sophie that I know about you. Not until we feel her out a little."

"No problem." Will agreed. "Let me fly you home?"

Rikki laughed slightly. "How about you fly me to the cafe and I walk home from there? It's much more secluded than the street I live on and the walk isn't far."

"Ok." Will hopped to his feet enthusiastically and took Rikki's hand tightly in his. He was beginning to enjoy the hot electric tingle on his skin.

Seconds later the pair was shooting through the sky at incredible heights. The lights below them turned into one big blur as the cool night air hit their faces. Will took them a little slower the closer they got to the cafe. He flew them a bit higher once they reached it, hovering directly over top of the familiar building.

"See anyone?" He looked at the ground below them.

"Nope." Rikki didn't see a soul.

Quickly, causing both of their stomachs to flip over, Will dropped them down to the ground. He slowed them just before they landed, setting them down right outside the entrance to the cafe.

"Geez, Will." Rikki gasped, holding both of his hands so tightly her knuckles were white. "Fast enough?"

"I wanted to be quick in case someone happened to come by." Will explained.

"Ah, gotcha. Good call." Rikki nodded. "That makes sense."

Her grip relaxed a bit, but Will held onto her hands tightly. Their touch gave off the tiniest of sparks, barely noticeable to the eye.

"Thank you." He said quietly. "I mean, seriously Rikki. You've been such a big help with everything. You have no idea how much I appreciate you. I don't know what I would have done without you during all this."

Rikki blushed at the compliments. "No worries." She said lightly. "You're picking up on all this so easily. In no time at all this will all be totally simple for you."

"And then I'm going to tell Bella." Will said determinedly. "I'm going to take a few weeks to really make sure I can handle this and then I'm going to tell her." He swallowed hard. "I love her _so_ much, Rikki. I don't want to lose her. But I did this because I wanted it so badly. If she loves me too she'll understand that. Right?"

"She will." Rikki said encouragingly. "I know it. It'll take her a while, but she loves you too. She'll come around."

The pair found themselves standing there in silence, enjoying the night air. Rikki heard the light tinkling of the cafe's beaded door and turned, confused, to see who had just come outside.

Zane stopped in his tracks, his eyes locked on Rikki's and Will's entwined fingers. He met Rikki's eyes a moment later, a heartbreaking look of betrayal on his face.

"Zane!" Rikki immediately yanked her hands out of Will's and put them behind her back. "What are you doing here?"

"I was going to surprise you tomorrow." Zane's voice sounded empty. "My plane landed an hour ago, I was just... checking in on the cafe before I headed home." His eyes flashed darkly at Rikki and Will. "I guess I had absolutely perfect timing." He said bitterly.

"What? Oh no, Zane, you've totally got the wrong idea." Rikki said quickly. "Will and I were just..." She racked her brain for an explanation.

"I fell." Will spoke up. "Rikki was just, um, helping me stand back up."

"Right." Rikki nodded before turning her head to squint at Zane. "And where do you come off asking me questions?" Rikki's usual sassiness was back. "We aren't together anymore, Zane, in case you've forgotten."

"I haven't forgotten for a moment." Zane said quietly. "I just thought maybe... never mind." His voice was blank, tired.

Rikki grabbed Will's arm and pulled him a few feet away. "Get home." She whispered. "I can deal with Zane."

"Don't tell him about me." Will said desperately, fear in his eyes.

"I won't." Rikki promised solemnly. "But I don't want him to say anything to Bella about seeing us here together."

Will nodded. "I'll text you when I get home. Keep me updated. Oh, and be careful."

"You got it." Rikki watched Will walk away for a moment before turning back to Zane. "Let's go inside and talk." She gestured towards the cafe.

"No." Zane said quickly, moving in front of the door. "Let's go somewhere else instead."

"I'm not waking up Cleo, Bella, or your Dad just so that we can have an argument." Rikki said, pulling her keys out of her pocket and pushing past Zane. She quickly unlocked the door and marched inside, flipping on the light. Her eyes immediately landed on the front counter. There, in a brilliant blue vase, was what had to be at least fifty red roses.

"Oh... Zane... " Rikki was touched at the gesture. A plain white envelope was tucked in among the flowers.

Zane quickly snatched it out of the bouquet, tearing it in half before tucking it away into his pocket.

"What was that?" Rikki asked.

"Nothing that matters now." Zane said, trying to hide his anger. He crossed his arms over his chest angrily. "You should have told me you and Will had gotten together."

"No, Zane, we haven't." Rikki placed one hand on his arm, her tone soft. "Really."

"Right." Zane spat. "That's why you two were standing outside, holding hands, at..." He checked his watch. "Almost five in the morning. Right?" He raised an eyebrow.

"There are things going on that you don't know about." Rikki said seriously. "I was just helping Will... deal with it all."

"Yeah?" Zane yanked his arm out of Rikki's hands. "Well I'd hate to get interrupt you _helping_ him." He smirked, turning on his heel and starting for the exit. "I'm done talking."

"No, Zane, wait." Rikki caught him, stopping him from leaving. "This isn't fair." She pleaded. "I mean, we're barely on comfortable friendship terms at the moment. You have no right to be jealous about anything I-"

"I know, ok?" Zane yelled, slamming his hand on the closest table. "I get it, Rikki. You've moved on. I'm so _thrilled_ for you." He finished speaking, breathing heavily.

Rikki looked at him closely, seeing the pain in his eyes. "Zane, listen to me." She said gently. "There is nothing between me and Will."

"Right." Zane didn't look at her. "I'm going home. Don't call me." He stalked out the door, leaving Rikki standing alone in their cafe.

* * *

Will tiptoed up his front steps, pulling his keys quietly from his pocket. He turned the lock carefully, opening the door as lightly as he possibly could.

"It's about time you showed up!" Sophie screeched. "Where the hell have you been, Will?" She waited impatiently for an answer, a furious look on her face.

"I'm sorry, I went out for a while." Will held his hands out, trying to quiet her.

"_Out_?" Sophie tapped her foot. "Out where? In the water?"

"Yes." Will looked her dead in the eye.

"And what if someone had seen you?" Sophie paced angrily. "What if you'd been caught?"

"No one saw me." Will said wearily. "I just want to go to bed, Soph."

"Sure, just go to bed." Sophie hissed. "I've been worrying about you for hours now. I'll just get over it. It's fine." She bitterly grabbed her keys off the side table and marched out the door.

Will sighed as the door closed behind her, dropping down onto the couch. Today he'd swam as a merman, flown, done things he'd never dreamed he could do. And it had all felt so _right._ Swimming with a fin felt like he'd been doing it his whole life. Flying seemed to be coming to him easier and easier. This was the right thing for him to do with his life, and Will knew it. Sophie may mad at him now, but she would just have to get over it.

Will climbed into his bed, ready for another day of magic. He didn't know how he could possibly sleep, he was too excited to get back in the water.

Someone knocked loudly on the front door, surprising Will. He sat up in bed, confused. Sophie had a spare key, she had no reason to knock. Who was at the door? Will tossed aside his blankets and walked slowly to the front door. He peered through the window but couldn't see anyone on his stoop.

Slowly, he pulled the door open and looked outside.

The door was pushed open hard, knocking him hard onto his back on the floor. Someone jumped on top of him.

"I knew it, as soon as I leave you and Rikki get together." Zane hissed angrily. He threw a punch at Will's face, but Will blocked it, throwing Zane off of him.

"We aren't together, Zane." He panted. "Now get out of here." He tried hard to catch his breath.

"First you're going to tell me what you and Rikki are doing together." Zane said firmly. "I want to know exactly what you two have been doing since I left town. I thought she was my friend." He looked venomously at his feet.

"She is your friend." Will said desperately. "Zane, I am in love with Bella. I have no romantic feelings for Rikki."

"So why were the two of you holding hands?" Zane asked wearily.

"We told you... I fell." Will answered lamely.

"Yeah. Right." Zane clenched his teeth. "I hope you both are very happy together." Zane started for the door.

"Zane, wait." Will caught his arm. "Let me talk to you, I promise I love Bella."

"And I'll bet Bella would love to hear about how you and Rikki were holding hands in the middle of the night." Zane smirked. "Maybe I should talk to her about it."

"No." Will said quickly. "You can't."

"Why not?" Zane said, speaking way too quietly. "Since it's all... so... innocent?"

Will could feel himself losing control. He tried to breath deeply, but it was hard. "It _is _innocent, Zane." He managed. "I mean it."

"Well then Bella won't be worried, will she?" Zane's cocky tone made Will swallow hard. "It'll be morning soon. I'm sure she'll be glad to have a little catch up. Who knows what we'll talk about?" Zane muttered. He pushed open the front door and started his way outside.

"No, you can't." Will threw himself out the door, caught Zane around the waist, and launched the two of them up into the air.

"You can't hurt Bella." Will spoke as the two boys flew through the air, headed to who-knew-where.

Zane focused his eyes on Will. "What in the world is going on?" He managed to ask before completely losing his breath as they flew faster and faster.


	6. What next?

Will didn't know exactly where he was flying, he just knew that he had to get out of that tiny shed. He had felt that he was about to lose control, and he had taken Zane with him impulsively. Will cursed under his breath. Zane always knew just how to push Will's buttons, and he'd succeeded once again. Making up his mind, Will changed directions slightly and headed towards the water tower he and Rikki had landed on earlier that evening.

He dumped Zane unceremoniously onto the metal top of the tower, high above the ground. Zane sat there in shock for almost a full minute before he managed to catch his breath. His eyes were wide and slightly wild as they focused on Will. "What... did you... just do?" He panted.

Will sank, cross legged, onto the cool metal floor. He let his head drop down into his hands. This was quickly becoming the worst kept secret in the world. He sucked at this.

"Hello? _Will?_" Zane stood and stalked over to stand over Will. "Answer my question. Now. What _was_ that?"

Will desperately did not feel like explaining the whole thing, not again. He and Zane had never liked each other. In fact, they hated one another. Zane would never understand. Will clenched his fists nervously. What if Zane exposed him?

"I'm sorry I did that." Will said tiredly. "I lost control."

"Control?" Zane exploded. "Control of what, Will? You _fly_ now?" Zane paced angrily. "Tell me what's going on, now."

"Tomorrow..." Will was hit with a wave of total exhaustion. He couldn't bring himself to repeat the story again. "I'll tell you the whole thing tomorrow. I'm too worn out now. Just don't tell anyone." At that moment, Will figured it was only a matter of hours before the media would start knocking on his door, whether he told Zane what had happened or not.

Zane processed Will's words. Comprehension dawned on his face after a few seconds. "This is what Rikki was helping you with, isn't it?"

Will nodded. "Yeah."

The silence was almost deafening between the pair. Zane shakily tried to make his way for the metal staircase that wound it's way down to the ground. "I need to get out of here." He muttered. "And _don't_ try to stop me."

"Zane, wait." Will used his last ounce of energy to jet towards the steps, blocking Zane's way down. "You can't tell anyone about this. Please."

Zane jumped backwards, away from Will. He shot him a scarily dark look. "All I want to do is get off of this tower." He said slowly. "Tomorrow morning I want to know _everything." _His eyes fixed on Will's. "Or I'm going to tell the world that you can fly. And I'll tell them just how to get you to do it. You just need a little _push_, right?" Zane pushed Will aside and took the steps two at a time until he was safely on the ground.

Will watched him go, trying to keep calm. He quickly pulled his phone from his pocket and sent Rikki a message to let her know what had happened. She didn't answer, so Will assumed she must have already fallen asleep.

Will trudged wearily to his boat shed, where his front door still swung open on it's hinges. He stepped inside and shut it, letting out a long sigh. He was so disappointed in himself he could barely stand it. It had barely been two days and _three_ people already knew about what he was. Two of which made Will feel very uncomfortable. Will didn't think Sophie would say anything, but he couldn't deny seeing the brief flashes of dollar signs in her eyes. And Zane... Will shook his head, trying not to worry too much. The girls had done such a great job of keeping this secret. He didn't think he'd be able to forgive himself if he was the one to ruin it.

Will crawled into bed, pulling his covers up to his chin. He knew he'd never be able to get to sleep, but he was sure going to try.

Rikki, on the other hand, slept like a baby. Her dreams were filled with flying, soaring high above the town. She didn't sleep long, only a couple hours, but she woke up feeling rested and excited for more. Her phone caught her attention as she stretched her arms up over her head. She quickly read the missed text from Will.

Her pulse began to race as she read what he had written. Immediately, she jumped out of bed, tossed on the first pair of jeans and a shirt she could find, and raced out the front door. She bounded down the steps and hurried out the main doors of the apartment building.

"Rikki!" A voice called to her wearily before she could run further down the street.

Zane was sitting on the front steps she had just run down, looking tired but determined.

"Zane!" Rikki managed to pant, trying to breathe. "I was, uh, just on my way to see you." She rested her hands on her knees as she gasped.

"I figured you'd be heading that way. Or that you'd be rushing to Will's place." Zane's expression was unreadable. He nodded back towards her apartment. "We should go inside and talk."

"Um..." Rikki shifted her weight nervously. "How about we go to the moon pool instead, it's much more private."

"Bella and Cleo left for the library thirty minutes ago." Zane said firmly. He knew that Rikki was only trying to stall. He stood, wincing as his muscles loosened. He held the front door open and gestured inside. "After you."

Rikki walked up the stairs silently, feeling as if she was being led to the gallows. She desperately wished she'd had a chance to talk to Will before Zane's confrontation. What exactly did Zane know? Will's text had been more cryptic than informative.

Zane took a seat on the couch as Rikki locked the door behind them. She took a deep breath before turning to face him.

"What happened to Will?" Zane cut right to the point.

"He's a merman." Rikki decided that the easiest way around all this was to just be honest. She crossed her arms over her chest and looked Zane dead in the eye. "Say something."

Zane's eyes opened wide and practically bugged out of his head. "He's a merman?" He coughed. "Permanently?" His voice was strained.

Rikki frowned slightly as she took in Zane's surprise. She had expected Zane to know that already. She just figured he had wanted to hear her say it. She cleared her throat. "Yes, permanently."

Zane stood and angrily paced the floor. "I assumed one of you girls had used your mermaid magic on him and it had gone wrong or something. And that's why he can..." Zane's voice trailed off. "Fly." He finally finished. "I mean, it didn't seem like he had a lot of control over it."

"I know." Rikki rubbed her temples. "He's only just changed, Zane. He's still getting the hang of everything."

"So..." Zane sank down onto the couch beside Rikki. "He went to Mako Island on a full moon, just like you did."

Rikki nodded, unsure of what to say next.

"Why?" Zane seemed to be genuinely curious, and definitely confused.

Rikki shrugged a bit. "I guess because he wanted to. He didn't tell us beforehand."

Zane sat quietly, processing everything. His head felt so full he almost couldn't focus on anything. "Will is a merman who flies." He muttered under his breath.

Rikki couldn't help but laugh a little. It sounded so silly when Zane said it out loud.

"I can't compete with that." Zane stood, effectively stopping Rikki's laughter immediately.

"What?" Rikki caught his arm before he could make it out the door. "What do you mean, you can't _compete_ with that?"

Two spots of color appeared on Zane's cheeks. "I miss you, Rikki." He couldn't meet her eyes as he spoke. "I thought maybe now that we've gotten closer as friends you might... miss me too."

Rikki was touched at Zane's words. It was very out of character for him to be so open with her. He usually kept things all bottled up inside.

Zane's face darkened. "But I'll never turn myself into a merman for you."

This time Rikki couldn't help but burst into laughter. "Are you crazy? Why in the world would you think I'd ever want you to be a merman?"

Zane looked embarrassed momentarily, but he quickly clenched his jaw. "It doesn't matter, forget it." He roughly pushed past Rikki and made for the door.

"Zane, stop." Rikki dashed after him, catching him once again before he could get down the stairs. She caught his shoulder and held on tightly. "Talk to me." She said gently.

"Talk to Will." Zane tried to pull free but Rikki held him tightly in place.

"Zane, I-" Rikki tried to speak but Zane held up a hand, silencing her.

"Will has always loved you, Rikki." Anger dripped from Zane's voice. "And now the two of you can do everything together, can't you?" Zane didn't blink as he spoke. His tone was so quiet it was scarier than if he'd been yelling. "Will is closer to you now than I could ever be. It's just what he's always wanted. And he wins." Zane spun on his heel and marched down the steps without looking back.

Rikki sat down heavily on the top step, resting her chin on her knees thoughtfully. This was way, way too much to process, but Rikki tried to figure it out. Zane had just found out that Will was a merman, and that his power was flight. And not only was Zane angry about it, but, to Rikki's bewilderment, he seemed almost _jealous._ And he seemed to think that Will had done this for Rikki, which she knew was ridiculous.

Rikki's head popped up and her brow furrowed. She and Zane weren't together. He hadn't even really suggested that they should get back together. What if she and Will _were_ in love? And what if Will _had_ done this to be closer to her? Was that any of Zane's business? No. He had absolutely no right to be pitching a fit this way.

Deep down, Rikki knew that she wasn't really being fair to Zane and his feelings, but the bottom line was that none of this affected Zane in any way, and he had no right getting upset over it. He could think what he wanted to, it made no difference.

Still, Rikki couldn't believe just how wrong he'd gotten it. Rikki picked herself up, gave herself a little shake to clear her head, and continued down the steps. She was headed for Will's boat shed. The sooner he could get full control over his new abilities the sooner she could step back from all this.

* * *

Sophie toyed with her phone as she flipped absently through pages on the library computer. She'd been there all morning researching mermaids and mermen. She told herself that she was looking for information so that she could help Will, but deep down she had other thoughts in mind. Almost impulsively she typed a few words into the search engine and perused the results. She could find Will a great agent, one who would get him on all the right publicity tracks.

No. Sophie shook her head. He was her brother.

But that didn't mean she couldn't look. Right?

* * *

"Cleo. Cleo!" Bella hissed, trying to stay quiet. "Come here!"

"What are you doing?" Cleo stood over Bella, who was crouched behind a shelf of books in the computer section of the library.

"Shhh!" Bella pulled Cleo down beside her. She nodded toward a familiar red head. "Look."

"It's Sophie." Cleo spoke as if Bella were a child. "What about her?"

"Look at the computer screen in front of her." Bella spoke quietly. "Look at what she's researching."

The pair watched in silence for a few minutes.

Cleo's mouth dropped open. "She's researching mermaids?"

"And how to represent them to the public." Bella whispered. "She's practically setting up interviews already!"

"She can't know about us." Cleo shook her head. "There's absolutely no way. Where would she have seen us?"

"Maybe she was scuba diving?" Bella shrugged. "But just _look_, Cleo. She clearly knows about us."

The pair watched as Sophie spent minute after minute researching mermaids. They were both cramped by the time they decided to stand. The looked at each other with terrified eyes.

"How... how did she find out?" Bella wrung her hands nervously.

"I have no idea." Cleo clumsily pulled her phone from her pocket. "I'm going to call Lewis. He'll know how to deal with her."

A phone call later, they had a pan. A flimsy one at best, but better than nothing at all.


	7. To keep it safe

Lewis paced the sandy cave floor in the moon pool cavern, nervously checking his watch as he walked.

"You two should probably scram." He said to Bella and Cleo, who were peering up at him from the water's edge. "She'll be here in fifteen minutes."

"Are you sure about this?" Cleo asked, trying to stay calm.

The girls had downloaded the web history from the computer Sophie had been working on. She'd searched all kinds of things about mermaids. Their history, their abilities, and (terrifyingly) she'd visited several sites advertising agents and how to market a client. She'd even typed a search asking how much a real mermaid would be worth to the media. The scariest part was an email she had send to two news agencies. She had written that she had access to a genuine merperson, and that she was willing to expose the identity of the Mer for the right price. She had to know about them, there was no other explanation, and they were terrified.

"I'm positive." Lewis crouched down next to Cleo. "The best way to handle Sophie is to confront her. We can't let her catch us by surprise, we have to show her that we won't be bossed around." He held her hand tightly in his. "Trust me."

"Ok." Cleo nodded. "We'll be nearby, call if you need us."

"Will do." Lewis said confidently. "Now hurry up and get out of here."

Bella and Cleo swam out into the open ocean, finding a place around the edge of the cave to hide. They were ready in case Lewis needed back up.

Sophie's boat sputtered to a stop on the sandy bank of Mako Island. She climbed out and quickly started on the now familiar path towards the weird cavern she had explored. She'd gotten an odd message from Lewis McArtney telling her to meet him there and to come alone. She had planned on ignoring his cryptic text, but curiosity ended up getting the best of her.

"Hello?" She stepped inside the cave slowly.

"Sophie." Lewis said calmly. "I'm glad you came."

Sophie shrugged. "What did you want to meet me _here_ for?"

"I know that you know." Lewis didn't waste a second.

Sophie narrowed her eyes, trying to read Lewis's expression. "That I know what?" She said slowly.

"Oh come on, Sophie." Lewis was not going to let her manipulate him. "We saw the extensive search you did on the library computer. We know you were researching mermaids."

Sophie took a moment to compose her thoughts, trying not to show anything on her face. Did Lewis know about Will? Was he trying to blackmail her? A thought struck her. "Wait... we?"

"Yes, we." Lewis didn't explain any further.

"Ok." Sophie paced thoughtfully. "So what if I was researching mermaids? What is it to you?"

"You can't market them, Sophie. It won't happen." Lewis spoke firmly. "Do you understand me?"

Sophie nodded silently, trying not to let the shock she was feeling appear on her face. Them? Was there more than one mermaid out there? Or was Lewis just using the word _them_ to refer to mermaids in general?

"I mean it." Lewis felt confident as he walked to stand directly in front of Sophie. He looked her dead in the eye. "Leave them alone."

Sophie swallowed hard. This time there was no misunderstanding. Will wasn't the only mer in town. Now the only question was who Lewis was referring to?

"Do we understand each other?" Lewis tried to sound tough.

"Of course." Sophie said breathlessly. "But Lewis..." She thought about each word before she said it. "Can't I see... _them_? Just once? I've, uh, only caught a glimpse. I'll be glad to keep the secret, just let me see them once." She tried her best to sound contrite and meek.

Lewis thought carefully about her request. It seemed like a fair enough trade, and she seemed genuine in her promise to keep the secret. "Toss me your phone and then you can see them. I don't want you tempted to take any pictures."

Wordlessly, Sophie handed him her phone. It was hard to keep her face neutral. "Where are they? Are they close by?"

Lewis eyed Sophie, trying to decide if this was a good idea. She knew already, she couldn't un-know it. "After this you never mention it again, got it?"

Sophie nodded. Her heart was beating fast in her chest.

Lewis leaned out over the water towards the exit and whistled. A moment later, two figures appeared in the water. They surfaced timidly.

Sophie's eyes were glued to the long golden tails that extended out into the water. Eventually she managed to tear her eyes away from the tails and look at the faces in front of her. It took a herculean effort not to let the shock she felt show on her face.

Bella and Cleo looked at Lewis, waiting for him to explain his whistle.

"She won't say a word." Lewis said calmly but seriously. He looked down at his two friends. "She just wanted to see you guys once up close in exchange for her silence."

"Right." Sophie managed to choke out. Bella and Cleo are mermaids? Did Will do this for Bella? No, he couldn't have. He hadn't told Bella what he'd become. Surely he would have told her if he had done this to be closer to her. A million thoughts raced through Sophie's head in the space of only a few seconds.

"Ok, you've had your look." Lewis was feeling uneasy about this whole thing. It shouldn't have been this _easy._ Nothing with Sophie was ever easy. Something just felt wrong.

"Yeah." Sophie couldn't keep a smile from creeping onto her face. "I'll talk to you later, Lewis." Without another word, she turn and bolted from the cave.

"Well that went well." Lewis sat cross-legged on the sand.

"Did it?" Bella looked after where Sophie had disappeared. "For some reason I don't feel any better."

* * *

One minute Rikki was walking down the sidewalk, the next she was zooming through the air.

"Hey!" She half shouted half gasped, clutching onto Will tightly as he flew. "You scared me!"

"Sorry." Will couldn't help but laugh. He loved flying. Truly loved it. He set Rikki down gently on top of their water tower.

Rikki took a deep breath, trying not to shake. She'd gotten used to the electric tingle that happened every time she touched Will's skin, but flying that high was almost too exhilarating.

"I need to talk to you about Zane." Will said after they'd both calmed.

"He already talked to me." Rikki sat down on the metal floor. She quickly told Will about her odd conversation with Zane earlier that morning. "I'll pop down to the cafe this afternoon. He'll have had time to cool down by then."

"Ok..." Will was still unsure of Zane's trustworthiness, but for the moment there wasn't much he could do about it. He shelved his worries into the back of his mind.

"Let's practice." Rikki said authoritatively.

Will obeyed without objection. He practiced controlling his flight, precisely rising into the air before lowering himself back down. The pair worked hard for a solid two hours before dropping down for a rest.

"Good work." Rikki said tiredly.

"I'm getting better." Will said happily. "And it's getting to be a lot easier to control everything. He turned to Rikki with pleading eyes. "_Please_ can we swim for a bit?"

Rikki mulled the idea over in her head. "Let me call Bella and Cleo first." She decided. "We don't want to bump into them out in the ocean and spoil your big reveal." She glanced at Will from the corner of her eye. "So... when do you think you'll tell her?" She tried not to sound too interested in his response.

"I don't know, a couple of days maybe?" Will shrugged. "I really want to be good at all this first."

Rikki sighed as she dialed Cleo's number. She'd been hoping Will would say he would tell Bella tonight or first thing tomorrow morning. She didn't want to keep this secret any longer.

"Cleo, hey!" Rikki heard Cleo's voice on the other end of the line. "What are you and Bella up to right now? Or today?" She listened thoughtfully. "Ok, then. I'll see you tonight!" Rikki clicked her phone shut, a frown on her face. "Well that was weird."

"What was? What did she say?" Will's eyes narrowed.

"Nothing really, Cleo just sounded..._ off_." Rikki tilted her head to one side. "I wonder if she and Lewis are fighting about something. She really sounded like something was bothering her."

"But they aren't swimming, so it's ok if we go, right? Will couldn't help but ask.

"Cleo said she and Bella are working on some project with Lewis. They're all at the cafe." Rikki pushed her worries about Cleo into the back of her mind. "Yes, we can go swimming."

"Yes!" Will felt like a child celebrating a new bike. He swept Rikki up into his arms and flew them out to sea.

* * *

"What did Rikki want?" Bella asked as Cleo set her phone down on the table.

"She wanted to know what you and I were up to." Cleo answered. "I don't know, maybe she wanted to meet us for lunch or something. I told her we were busy working on a project with Lewis."

"And that's true enough." Lewis set a tray of juices at their table. "Keeping Sophie from exposing you girls is a pretty important project."

"Amen." Bella took a long sip of her banana-mango juice.

"So did you two see who's back?" Lewis nodded towards the cash register.

"Zane's back in town?" Bella shrugged. "I'm surprised he's not out looking for Rikki. You know he's still crazy about her."

"Well he isn't, he's here." Lewis took his seat. "And he's all kinds of pissed off about something."

"Maybe he already found Rikki." Bella smirked. "She's always had a knack for pushing his buttons."

"Guys, look." Cleo said quietly. "He is staring _daggers_ at us."

She was right. Zane was glaring straight at their table.

"What's his problem?" Lewis muttered. "We haven't even seen him in months?"

"Band practice ought to be a load of fun today." Bella rolled her eyes sarcastically. "I hope Zane gets out of here before we start."

"Speak of the devil." Cleo whispered as Zane appeared at their table.

His eyes were practically on fire as he looked to each of them. Zane didn't say a word, but he didn't have to. Wordlessly, he stabbed his finger in Bella's direction and gestured for her to follow him.

"This should be fun." Bella muttered as she reluctantly followed Zane down the short hall to his office.

Zane waited for the door to click shut before turning to look at her. Well, before turning to _glare _ at her. Bella was taken about by the severeness of Zane's expression. What in the world could he be so upset about? And what did it have to do with her?

"How long has this been going on?" Zane said abruptly, as if it had burst out of him.

Bella found herself caught completely off guard. "I'm sorry?" She stammered.

"You know what I mean." Zane sneered. "The thing between Will and Rikki. When did it start?" Zane punched his desk lightly. "When did he change?"

Bella's mouth was suddenly completely dry, and she found herself utterly unable to compose words.

"Come _on, _Bella." Zane dropped wearily into his desk chair. "I know everything. Rikki told me all about it this morning. I... I wouldn't believe it if I hadn't seen him last night. I mean," Zane screwed up his face. "_Will._ Really?"

"Will is... Will is with Rikki?" Bella managed to force herself to speak.

"Right now? I expect so." Zane lifted his eyebrows as he shifted his weight. He nodded. "I'll bet she went running straight to his place after she confessed everything to me this morning." His eyes finally focused up at Bella. "When did he tell you?"

Bella's mind was a tangled mess of anger, hurt, and confusion. Sure, Will and Rikki had been acting... _off_ these past few days, but Will cheating on her with Rikki? It was an out of character action for the both of them. But here was Zane, saying that Rikki had confessed? That he'd _seen_ it?"

"So... Rikki told you?" She whispered. "Everything?"

"Yeah." Zane said plainly. "I mean, what I saw last night pretty much clued me in that something was seriously messed up. Then, this morning, Rikki confessed everything." He looked up at Bella, and for the first time she could see genuine pain in his eyes. "You're the only person I could think of to talk to who might tell me what I wanted to know. I didn't want to talk to Lewis or Cleo." His eyes narrowed. "Will did tell you, right?"

Bella battled internally with herself, debating how to answer the question. She couldn't bare Zane having the satisfaction of telling her that Will was being unfaithful.

"Uh..." She cleared her throat. "Will told me last week."

"So it happened last week?" Zane grumbled. "Well, he sucks at it, just FYI. Tell him he'd better get all of this taken care of soon. It's too dangerous, he needs to get this mess under control now. "

Bella was too lost in her own troubled thoughts to try to decipher what Zane was yammering about. "Ill... I'll talk to you later, k?" She managed an incredibly fake smile before pushing her way out of Zane's office. Everything felt like it was falling apart. She had thought that Will was so happy with her. How could this be happening?

Bella fell into her seat next to Cleo in their booth. She couldn't bring herself to meet her friends' eyes. "I don't feel well." She said, standing abruptly. "I'll have to catch up with you two later."

Bella marched outside without waiting for a response from Cleo or Lewis. She was full of fire and on a mission to do one thing. She needed to speak to Will.

* * *

Waves crashed onto the shore, creating a relaxing soundtrack for Will and Rikki. They'd swam in the ocean for hours before settling onto this secluded piece of sand on a distant beach. They'd been there now for an hour, careful to stay far from the reach of the waves as they lay on the sand.

"Any ideas?" Rikki asked hopefully as she stretched out on the sand beside Will.

"No." Will's answer was short and slightly angry.

The pair had been brainstorming, trying to decide how to handle the situations with Zane and Sophie. Rikki wasn't too terribly worried about Zane. She planned to call him the minute she got back to the mainland, and she was sure he would end up listening to what she had to say. It was Sophie they were both really worried about. She'd been texting Will practically nonstop, begging him to tell her how he'd done it. How he had become a merman. Will couldn't quite place it, but something in her voice sounded like she knew something he didn't.

"We really should be heading back soon." Rikki said with slight reluctance. She wasn't looking forward to her talk with Zane, or to lying to Bella about where she'd been.

Will didn't answer, he just looked out over the water.

"Will?" Rikki nudged him gently. "Seriously, let's get going. It'll be dark soon and I don't really like flying at night."

Will stood, brushing the sand off his pants before turning to face Rikki. His jaw was set, a determined look on his face. "I'm going to tell Bella." He said, a small smile creeping across his face. "Tonight."

"Tonight?" Rikki squealed with happiness, pulling Will in for a tight hug. "That's wonderful! ARe you sure you're ready?"

Will took a deep breath as he nodded. "I have control over this fight thing, I'm sure of it now. As long as I can stay calm I should be able to keep from having any accidental take-offs. And, as far as the merman thing goes, I love it. I don't regret it a bit. I feel like I have to tell Bella now, before any more time passes.

"Good for you." Rikki said proudly, more than a little relieved to finally be done. "Now let's _go."_

Will obediently took Rikki's hand in his and soared them up into the air, pointed back towards the town.


	8. She knows

Bella could hear voices inside Will's boat shed as she approached it. She paused outside just long enough to identify them as Rikki's and Will's, then pushed her way through the front door without knocking.

Rikki jumped in surprise as Bella burst in. "Bell, you scared me."

"I'll bet I did." Bella said angrily.

"I'm glad you're here." Will took a deep breath, trying to calm his nerves as he faced Bella. He was ready. "We only just gt here, I was just getting ready to call you-"

"Zane told me everything." Bella spoke without preamble, looking Will dead in the eye.

"He did?" Will deflated immediately. He had wanted to make this special. He couldn't believe Zane had taken this away from him. "I'm sorry..." He stammered. "I wanted to tell you, I was just scared of how you would take it."

Tears welled in Bella's eyes as she looked at Will. He wasn't even going to bother trying to deny it?

"Bella." Rikki said gently. "Will wasn't ready to tell you yet. You've got to be able to understand that. I'm so sorry I didn't tell you, I just thought it would be better for Will to tell you himself."

Bella didn't know what to say next. She looked back and forth at her two friends, not believing that this was even happening. Wordlessly, she turned on her heel and marched out the door.

"Bella, wait!" Wil ran to her, catching her by the arm. "_Please_ don't be mad at me, I'm begging you."

"Don't be _mad?_" Bella echoed his words. "Are you serious right now?"

"Ok, you're mad." Will quickly composed himself, choosing his words carefully. "But Bella, I've been wanting this for a long time. Please try to understand."

Bella couldn't stand to listed to another word. She yanked her arm from Will's grasp, ran down the short dock, and dove off of it into the water, swimming as fast as she could.

Then, someone caught her hand. Familiar, tanned fingers entwined with hers under the water.

Bella's eyes widened as she looked at Will, who was swimming in the water beside her. Bella's eyes slowly travelled down Will's torso, resting on the tail that had taken the space where his legs were supposed to be. Bella gasped involuntarily, accidentally taking in a huge gulp of sea water. She pushed her way to the surface, coughing and sputtering the whole way up, but never looking away from Will's fin.

They surfaced together. Will pleaded with Bella with his eyes. "I'm so sorry I didn't tell you sooner. You never should have had to learn about this from Zane." He paused, studying Bella's shocked expression. "Bell?"

Bella still couldn't speak, she just stared at Will. A distant boat's motor broke her out of her trance. She quickly shot a glance over the water to make sure they hadn't been seen, then ducked under the water and sped off in the direction of Mako Island. After a moment of hesitation Will followed behind her.

Bella rubbed the water out of her eyes, trying to stop her mind from racing. Will surfaced slowly, his eyes still desperately to read Bella's face.

"When did you do this?" Bella managed to speak in a quiet voice.

"On the last full moon." Will's voice was just as soft.

"And why didn't you tell me?" Bella stared down into the water, unable to look Will in the eye any longer.

Will swallowed hard, realizing for the first time that it had been a really huge mistake not to tell Bella from the beginning. He should have listened to Rikki. "I just wanted to wait." He said meekly. "I wanted to have everything under control before I told you."

"But you had no problem telling Rikki." The bitterness was loud and clear in Bella's voice.

"No, Bell, it wasn't like that." Will reached for her hand but she yanked it away. "Rikki just found out, she caught me. I didn't tell her on purpose."

"I'll bet." Bella clenched her jaw in anger. "Well I really hope you two are happy with how well everything turned out." She glanced down at Will's fin one last time before disappearing once more under the water.

This time Will didn't bother trying to follow her.

* * *

"We messed up, Will." Rikki paced the boat shed floor angrily as Will walked inside. "We really messed up."

"I know." Will leaned on the counter, trying to figure out what to do next. "Bella's really angry."

"Yeah, understatement." Rikki crossed her arms tightly over her chest.

"Zane told her." Will shook his head. "I can't believe he did that."

"I can." Rikki had no trouble remembering the anger in his eyes during their earlier conversation. "Listen, Will, Bella is super pissed right now. Want my advice? Bring her flowers. Beg her forgiveness. And then... I guess just give it time. She'll come around, this is just a huge shock."

"You really think she'll forgive me?" Will asked weakly..

"I do." Rikki nodded firmly.

Will's phone rang loudly, and he opened it with lightning speed. "Bella, thank you so much, I've been trying to call you, I-" He paused, listening as Bella spoke. "Oh... well, obviously Rikki knew about me. And Zane found out too. Oh, but Sophie found out before either of them. Yes, my sister knows. She's known the longest. But don't worry." He said quickly. "She doesn't know anything about you girls, I would never tell her that."

Several seconds of silence passed.

"Bella?" Will frowned as he turned to look at Rikki. "She hung up on me."

* * *

Bella dropped her phone onto the table in Cleo's kitchen. A sinking feeling became stronger as she turned to face Cleo and Lewis.

"Sophie knew about Will." She said quietly. "She _knows_ about Will."

"So her interest in mermaids and how to market them..." Lewis began to put things together.

"... May not have had anything to do with us at all." Cleo finished.

"And we went and showed her everything." Bella felt sick. "We're idiots."

"Speak of the devil." Lewis's phone had begun ringing. "It's Sophie."

"Answer it." Cleo said anxiously.

Lewis's fingers fumbled as he pressed the button, putting the call on speaker phone. "H- hi Sophie." He stammered.

"Lewis." Her voice came over the speaker, sounding cool and collected. "I'd like very much to have a _chat_ with you. Today, if you're available."

"A chat?" Lewis squeaked. "Umm... what about?"

"I think you already know." Sophie sounded amused. "Meet me at the Cafe in exactly one hour." With a click, the line went dead.

* * *

An hour later found Lewis obediently sitting in a booth at the Cafe waiting for Sophie. He, Bella, and Cleo had discussed at great depth what he should say to her. The girls had decided that it was smarter for them to wait it out at Cleo's house until Lewis returned. They didn't know what exactly Sophie had in mind, but they weren't about to march right up to her to find out.

"Lewis, I'm so very glad you've made it." Sophie flashed her teeth at him as she took the opposite seat in the booth.

"What do you want with me, Sophie?" Lewis asked warily.

"With _you_?" Sophie raised her eyebrows. "I don't want much of anything from you, Lewis." She leaned forward on her elbows. "I want something from Bella and Cleo."

"Listen..." Lewis also leaned forward, his hands gripping the edge of the table. "If you expose Cleo and Bella..." He paused, swallowing. "If you expose them then we'll expose Will."

Sophie smirked. "So you know about Will now? That's interesting. He must have only just told you, because you certainly didn't know about him earlier today." She crossed her arms over her chest, an increasingly smug look on her face. "You know, you really took me by surprise out at Mako Island. And then you just _told_ me..." She shook her head with mock pity. "Not your brightest move, Lewis."

"So what happens now?" Lewis asked impatiently. "I won't let you tell the world about Cleo or Bella, I mean it. If you do we'll tell about Will. Even you wouldn't do that to your own brother."

"I never had any intention of telling the media about Will." Sophie spoke slowly, her smirk increasing.

Lewis frowned. "That makes no sense, Sophie. We saw you researching the best way to market mermaids. _Mermaids._ But you didn't know about the girls when you were researching mermaids and you claim you weren't going to expose Will. So who were you going to expose?"

"Me." Sophie sat up, a self-satisfied expression on her face. "I want to market myself. You see, even if I managed to convince Will to go public, he'd never be under my complete control. Neither would the girls. Who better to manage than myself?" Her smirk grew wider. "And you, Lewis, are going to tell me just how to do it."

Lewis's mouth dropped open. "Y- you want to become a mermaid?" He stammered. "So that you can tell the world about yourself?"

"And make millions of dollars doing it." Sophie said cooly. "You see, Lewis, you've handed me the perfect leverage. I was going to beg Will until he gave up the secret, but this is so much easier." She paused, savoring the moment. "Either I go public as a mermaid, or Cleo and Bella do. If you don't tell me how to make it happen I'm going to tell every news crew in Australia that there are real mermaids. And I'll tell them their names, addresses, and phone numbers. You have until dusk tomorrow to contact me." With that, Sophie snapped her jacket tightly and stalked out of the Cafe.

Rikki walked in just as Sophie walked out, almost walking straight into her. She spotted Lewis and immediately hurried over to him. "You look as if you've seen a ghost." She said, frowning. "What's the matter with you?"

Lewis looked at her with distracted, unfocused eyes. "I've got to go." He stood, calling behind him as he hurried out of the Cafe. "See you later, Rikki."

"Ok..." Rikki puzzled over Lewis's hasty exit, but decided to chalk it up to the usual odd Lewis behavior. Taking a deep breath, Rikki stood and headed towards Zane's office. This was what she had come here to do, no point in delaying it any further. She exhaled before knocking lightly on the door.

"Yes?" She heard Zane answer from inside.

"I wanted to catch you before you left town again." She said, pushing the door open.

"Oh, it's you." Zane's face darkened as Rikki walked up to his desk.

"I need to talk to you." Rikki said firmly. "And you need to talk to me."

"Shouldn't you be out _flying_ with Will?" Zane asked bitterly.

"Oh, stop it." Rikki said impatiently. "Zane, there is nothing between Will and me, and even if there was, it wouldn't be any of your business."

"I don't care about any of it." Zane slammed his desk drawer shut. "I've booked a fight back to the university for tomorrow afternoon. You can do whatever you want."

"Yeah, I can." Rikki said, a bit more gently. "Zane, we aren't together. You know that."

Zane didn't say anything, though his clenched jaw seemed to speak plenty.

"Listen, Zane..." Rikki placed a hand on his shoulder. "I've really loved the way we've become friends. It's meant a lot to me. You can't be jealous of Will, we're just friends."

"I'm not jealous of anyone, especially not the fish." Zane shrugged away from Rikki's hand.

"Ok." Rikki nodded. "And, listen, it really wasn't fair for you to tell Bella about Will. She had the idea that Will and I were messing around behind her back or something. And then when you told her about him being a merman, it really made her upset."

"I didn't say anything about him being a merman." Zane said absently. "I just asked her how long she'd known about it."

"Well you caused a pretty big problem. She's furious at him." Rikki said, exasperated.

"I don't care." Zane snapped his briefcase shut. "It's really not my problem, is it?"

"Fine." Rikki could see there was no point in trying to reason with him. "Have a nice flight." She slammed the door on her way out.


End file.
